How to Prevent A Horse's Shoulder Injury…By Flexing His Knee.
Professional athletes stretch their muscles before a strenuous athletic event. Your horse is also an athlete. So should he be stretching his muscles too? Or will a horse stretch on his own without any prompting from you? They do. But you can help prevent them prevent an injury by stretching their muscles for them…
I was just on Bill & Mikki’s Our First Horse blog where they ask the question: ‘have you ever seen a horse stretch?‘ I mean really stretch his legs like a dog or a cat?
Bill writes…
I just got back from letting the horses out and saw something funny I want to share. In the year plus we’ve owned a horse, I have never seen a horse do what Moonshine just did. As she walked out into the pasture, she crossed her two front legs and leaned far back for a few seconds. She stretched! I didn’t’t realize horses did that. Sorry if this is a boring revelation to those of you who have been around horses for a long time but it’s a first for me. Sorry, no picture.Have you seen horses stretch?
Yes, Bill, as a matter of fact, I have. What’s even funnier - Neo did it just a few months ago at a show. I had never seen it before, either. He was in his stall for a long time - some 6 hours straight.
When I got him out, we walked about 100 feet or so, then he just stopped. And stuck one of his hind legs straight out behind him and stretched. Then he did the same thing with the other one. Just like a cat.
Stretching As Preventive Horse Health
There are some practicing horse chiropractors that really believe in stretching a horse’s muscles as a preventive health measure.
First, they’ll lift a horse’s front legs and bend it at the knee. When you raise the horse’s knee to 90 degrees, you’re stretching his shoulder. This can help prevent a shoulder injury that may sideline your horse if he missteps on rough terrain. You can try this yourself in your own barn. Just make sure you let the horse give you the stretch naturally - you can’t force it.
The Hoppe Equine Chiropractic Clinic in Fredricksburg, TX specializes in this very thing. Check out the photo below…
Horse stretching :). Makes you wonder how often they do it when we’re not around to watch them. But yes, it was a fun thing to see.
Yours For Better Horse Health
Sierra Lynch
Tags: Horse Health, Horse Injuries
My stallion always stretches his back legs before I saddle him. He sometimes even makes an ummmm sound if it’s a particularly good stretch.
I know lots of people who do the shoulder stretches before they ride. I have some shoulder excercises I like to do at the start of every ride to help loosen my horses up too. It all helps keep them safe and sound.